I'm glad you have an appointment to see a podiatrist. I do want you to know, however, that most podiatrists will try numerous conservative treatments before resorting to surgery which isn't guaranteed and can carry with it its own complications. Each of those conservative treatments needs to be given a decent amount of trial time to see if they're beneficial for you.

Paisley42,
Hi, how are you?
Thank you so much for your reply, i really appreciate it.
Yes, i understand that the Podiatrist will want to try numerous conservative treatments of his own before just going straight into the surgery. I'm just hoping , or should i say "wishful" thinking lol that after i tell him everything that i've tried over the past 3 years that he would take mercy on me lol but in all likelyhood i realize that you're probably right. I just will be so happy not to hurt anymore. I'm still trying to be "optimistic" about my pain ever truely being relieved because after living this nightmare for so long i have almost given up hope of ever being pain free. The thing with me is that almost every story that i've heard about people whom suffer from PF usually say that they at some point get relief, until they get out of bed in morning, do too much walking, running, etc. but for me my PF is constant pain. It is always there & it never lessens no matter what i do. It is 24 hr extreme pain. I take Percocet 10/325 4x per day & it barely puts a dent in my pain. It is very very horrible! Most nights i just lay awake & fantasize of how i could cut off my feet without bleeding to death. It's a very horrifying thought when a person would go so far or to such extreme that they would actually cut off their own feet! But if i knew that i wouldn't kill myself or bleed to death from doing so i would have done it a long time ago. And i am shocked that i would even think such a thing! I mean, i have given birth to 2 children in my life time & child birth was a piece of cake compared to this pain. It is really taking its toll on me. I question myself daily & ask myself "what kind of quality of life do i really have when i'm in constant pain 24/7"? Its just so hard, ya know? I deal with this everyday & still take care of my family & my house hold & 3 dogs! lol I'm sorry i'm rambling lol today is just a really painful day for me. Thank you so much for listening. Please keep me in your prayers. And if you ever need to talk i'm here for you also. Take care.
Angelique

Hi Angelique...I had my rheumatologist appointment today and she is sending me to physical therapy for the plantar fasciits and achilles tendonitis...I will caution you...please don't be too quick for surgery...especially when it involves the tendons...its a very long recovery and as mentioned here there are complications....but if you have done all the conservative treatments they may say surgery is the only option. I have had mine for about 9 years now and from what you are describing yours is much more intense than mine..but in passing my podiatrist did say what do you want surgery on this now...I'm like uhhh...no not if I can help it. Just for what I had done in Dec I had to be OFF my feet for 3 months...that is why I did it in winter so there would be no nice weather to feel bummed out about missing out on. Also having said this my specific condition causes inflammation in the tendons and mine started with the achilles. So it is not just my achilles and plantar fascitis...I have inflammation at most tendon points on my body...so in my case its which one is worse at the moment...my plantar faciitis and achilles just happened to get swept to the side for awhile...it never went away..it just so happened that I had the foot surgery and thats how it came up...but if you have some kind of success with yours...PLEASE DO SHARE what it is that gave you relief. It sounds like immediately you need some kind of pain relief and fast!! Ice whenever you can for 20 minutes at a time...and don't forget...I know you have heard this over and over....stretch several times a day...I really hope you get some relief soon!! Is there anyway you can tell them it is urgent and get a sooner appointment??

Debslol,
Hi, thanks for the update, i appreciate it. I sure do hope that you will have success with your physical therapy. I will be keeping you in my thoughts & prayers. Please continue to keep me posted & let me know how everything is coming along. I also would be really interested to know exactly what type of therapy one can do with PF. And whether i would be able to do it myself without hurting worse.
Yes, i do worry about the recovery time IF i'm fortunate enough to get the surgery because the "down time" is going to be very hard on me as i have a family & house hold to take care of. Well, my only child is 17 years old but he is a complete "mama's boy" & he depends on me for so much & though he could very easily do these things for himself & well, hes just going to have to IF i get this surgery lol. But the rest of the stuff, like cleaning house, cooking meals, laundry & making sure that my husbands work uniforms are done, etc. i just worry about not being able to do these things. I take care of a 17 yr & 2 grown men lol. They would be lost without me. Plus, i have 3 very active fur babies! They constantly want to play & go outside & i'm their sole caregiver-mommy most of the time. Now is when a "doggy door" would be nice! lol My husband does have a load of sick time under his belt so maybe something can be worked out there IF i get the surgery. He also gets 5 weeks of paid vacation per year so thats always an option as well. But, yeah, i do stress & worry about the down time.
9 years! omg! thats gotta be hard on you. I'm so sorry. How do you do it? I'm so glad that you are getting this PT & i sure hope that it works to cure, or lessen your pain. 3 months! omg! i couldn't be off of my feet for that long. My house hold would crumble! lol how did you do it? Do you have a family to care for? Fur babies? Did anyone help take care of you during this time? I hope my questions aren't being too nosey, if so then i apologize.
You did your surgery during the winter months so that you wouldn't miss out on the nice days of summer. See, i would prefer to have my surgery done during summer because i don't like to go out too much during the summer months because it is wayyyy too hot where i live lol. Therefore i look forward to & LOVE the cooler winter months. I am not a "born native" of my state, i'm used to freezing cold winters & unpredictable weather but here in Az. there is no need to ever watch the weather forecast because it's always the same, HOT! lol But i've been here in Az for about 7 yrs now. But i can certainly understand why you choose the winter months.
I'm sorry that you suffer with all of your tendon points. That can't be easy. I also know what its like to have to "pick" what ailment to deal with first because i just did this myself. This is one reason why i've let my PF go for so long is because i am also going through alot of "female/GYN" issues & i just had surgeries April 14th for these issues. I just had 3 procedures done & am looking at a 4th very soon. So, i needed to take care of these issues first as these were life threatening. Sometimes you think "god, does it ever end?" lol
Oh you bet, i'll share any successes that i may have in finding any relief for my PF/heel spurs. I will keep you posted.
No, unfortunately this appointment with the Podiatrist was the the soonest available opening, or so i was told. So i will just try to hang in here until then because i've got no choice but to lol.
Thank you so much for all of your replies, your support, & comfort & for being such a great listener! It really does mean more to me than you know when i'm up at night crying in pain, being able to go to my computer & come here & read the replies does help me to go on. I find comfort & hope in all of your replies & i truely do appreciate it. Thank you! And this goes for each kind soul who has replied on this thread. You are all a blessing.
Keep me posted with you. Take care.
Angelique

Hi Angelique...It was very hard to be off my feet for 3 months and yes I had help...my daughter came and stayed for the 1st month which was the very crucial time that I absolutely had to keep off of it...after that my boyfriend (we've been together for 10 yrs and I still call him that...lol) and sister kicked in and made sure I had my meals etc. I know how you feel about feeling that the household will crumble...you just gotta give it up and let things go and know that you will be able to take care of it after. Since my condition has gotten worse I really have had to give up alot of what my expectations are as far as cleaning etc...The bad news is I just went to my knee doc and he said I can't have anymore arthroscopies so now I just bide my time until it gets so unbearable for replacement...they really like to wait as long as possible....but now I am suppose to be down for 2 wks to try and get the swelliing down. Trying to take care of our health is a 24 hr a day job!!!! I also got denied for SSDI and just got my files...I said I only drive occasionally when I don't have a ride to a docs appt and they said I travel independantly shop etc...boy can they take things the wrong way!!!
You sound like a very strong person like me...and a caretaker...but remember if you don't take care of yourself you can't take care of your loved ones....and I also know you probably hate to even show your pain and suffer silently because you don't want to be a burden...are you taking any anti depressants or any kind of counseling...pain alone especially after many years can make you feel tormented not only physcially but emotionally as well...and at least with counseling you can confide and let it all out without feeling like a burden to your family....my prayers are with you as well...its hell on earth when you hurt like you are...I am just sorry that there is no relief for you...I know you are probably counting the days until your appt. Try not to over do and give your feet a rest when you can

Hi Debbie,
Nice hearing from you again. I really do appreciate your replies. It's nice having somebody to talk to about all of this. It really does help.
It's great that you had somebody there for you during your down time that was willing & caring enough to help you out. Especially your boyfriend! That really shows just how much he loves you! Most men are'nt very good at being caregiver, atleast this has been my experience. Most run the other way once they see what all is involved lol. I'm glad that you had a little team that was there for you, it really makes all the difference in your recovery.
Yes, you're right, i am just going to have to let things go around the house hold until i'm back up & on my feet again. This is really really hard for me to do but i know that my health is going to depend on it.
I'm sorry to hear about your knee. I'm sorta in the same boat with you here also because i have arthritis in both of knees, my right knee is the worse & they are both rubbing bone on bone & i've been to a surgeon but the surgeon was unwilling to do any knee replacement sugery due to my age. He says that i'm much to young. I thought, what does my age have to do with anything? If i need new knees then i need new knees lol So i just have to suffer. Although the surgeon was willing to give me the Fentynol patch for my knee pain but i refused because i was too afraid to use it lol. I didn't want to add "addictions" onto my list of ailments. Because the surgeon warned me that the patches were highly addictive so chicken *hit me, said "no, thanks." lol You'd better keep that knee elevated to get that swelling down! Will ice packing it help also? You poor thing, i hope the swelling goes down for you soon & that you don't have too much pain. I certainly know how it feels as i just saw my MD this afternoon for the very same thing. My knees are swollen & they are crunching. He told me to keep them elevated above heart level & ice them 3 times a day until the swelling subsides. 3 times a day for 20 minutes at a time. He also showed me a very simple knee exercise that he wants me to do that will take away the stiffness & i can do the exercise from a sitting down position! lol It's very simple, you just sit down & then lift your leg straight up & sorta move your leg up & down, at the same time holding your leg lifted. He told me to do 50 of them lol . My MD also renewed my percocet rx for another 90 days. My Dr even asked me today if the percocet are still working for me & i told him that they do help but in no way do they take away my pain. He asked me if i wanted a new, stronger drug. He mentioned Oxycontin & i don't really know why i said this but i said no that i would just stay on the percocets. After i had left his office i said "why did i say that? lol I think the main reason why i said that is because i was afraid that if he changed my drugs that what if the new drug didn't work as good as the one i've been taking. I was really afraid of that but he did tell me if i need something stronger to call him. I have been thinking about it & i think what i may do is give him a call & ask him to write me a script for 10 of the oxycontins just so that i can see if they will manage my pain better than the percocets, ya know? Because i really do need something stronger. I can't believe that i said "no!" lol I think also that i was just surprised at him offering me something stronger & because he was being so nice to me on this visit. But then again, he is usually always very nice & compassionate about my pain levels. I may give him a call in a few days & try the oxycontin. He even said that he is willing to give me the percocets for break through pain. I'm just so happy that he understands my pain, that he acknowledges it. Alot of Dr.'s don't. Alot of Dr.'s just blow us off & have the nerve & audacity to treat us as if we were drug addicts. Have you ever had percocets or oxycontin? The reason i'm asking is because i was curious as to if you thought that one is better than the other.
Well i sure hope that your knee feels better real soon & that the swelling goes down. I will keep you in my prayers.
I'm so sorry that you were denied for SSDI. Can you appeal?
No, i'm not taking any kind of anti depressants/no counseling either but sometimes i wonder if it might help lol. You're right, i am the type of person that suffers in silence because i have alot of pride & i don't ever want to feel like i'm being a burden to anyone. Even when i need to cry i go into the bathroom & lock the door where nobody can see or hear me crying. I try my best to stay strong, for everybody elses sake. While i suffer in silence. Often times my "pride" & stubborness" just cause me to be in that much more pain because my husband is always telling me, let me rent you a motorized scooter or a wheel chair so that we can go out to different places but i always refuse & i say "no, i can walk"...And then once i get home i cry like a baby, alone, of course. It's almost as if, i really want to get in that scooter but i'm fighting against myself because i do not want to be a burden or come off as "disabled". So i just push & push myself while i'm screaming inside to STOP! It's aweful! Why can't i just accept the help? God, please don't tell me that i now need to add "mental" illness to my list of ailments lol Not that i'm in any way trying or meaning to cut down any person whom may have a "mental" illness. I just have enough on my plate already to deal with lol.
Take care & i will keep you in my thoughts & prayers.
Thanks for listening.
Angelique

Hi Angelique...you are very right about the guy thing...most don't want to help and believe me with my guy it will only last a day or two...but than I think he is the main bread winner here right now so I try to do what I can to make it easy for him. On top of that he is VERY laid back so I have to ask several times. But I feel very fortunate because most men wouldn't put up with these circummstances and would want someone who can go out have fun etc...on top of that mine is 8 yrs younger than me...lol. He just gets mad at me because he feels I don't do enough to improve my pain...such as icing...stretches etc...but really when you are in so much pain its hard to think about movement and stretching. As far as the wheelchair issue...last week I had a talk with him about it...that I am going to have to get a wheelchair if we want to go anywhere...because if I don't I will be a prisoner in my house...and even when I asked my doc for a pres for it I started to cry...WHY is it we think we are so weak if we need these to get around!!! I could probably get by with a cane or crutches but because of my shoulder and elbow isssues my arms couldn't support that. And I think wheelchair=having to rely on someone else.
I hear you on the too young for knee replacement I have been hearing that for 15 years now. The reason is you can only have 2 in a lifetime and each lasts 10 yrs. I told my doc that I want to be active in my 50's in my 70's I can handle being pushed around...and what if I wait and wait endure all of this pain and I die at 55...I wanted to enjoy life you never know when your time is up.
I have not taken the narcotics as much ...I think with my condition they are leery of getting me hooked on them. I hate darvocet...norco anything with codiene. She gave me tramadol to try...it is suppose to be non addicting non narcotic I think. but I also will be taking lyrica..and I take flexiril.
Don't let your pride get in the way of enjoying life...it hurts your husband more to see you in severe pain than to see you in a wheelchair

Hi Debslol,
Thanks for your reply. I always enjoy hearing from you. Just wish it were under better circumstances, instead of us always having to talk about our "ailments & pains" lol . Sometimes i feel like a grumpy old lady lol & then i think to myself "Oh! so this is what it's like" lol. If it weren't for my humor i think i would have lost it a long time ago lol.
You said that your boyfriend is 8 years younger than you, you go girl! lol My husband is 8 years older than i lol. My husband is very laid back also but he knows better than to make me have to ask him something more than once lol. My husband is a "homebody", he is very content just staying home & watching tv so it works out ok now that i can't get out too much anymore. But he always tells me this "if there is anything that you would like to do then tell me to get up off my *ss & lets go" lol & believe me, i most certainly will lol. But right now, i am a "prisoner" in my own house most days. I hate it too because before this PF/heel spurs i used to be so active. I used to hate sitting home for longer than 5 minutes. How i miss those days...Sigh...
I'm so glad that you had a talk with your boyfriend about the wheelchair because getting out will do you so much good. With as little pain as possible. How i just wish that i could practice what i preach & do the same thing.
You are so right about what you were talking about with the knee replacement thing. We could die tomorrow & then have suffered all of this pain for nothing. I totally feel the same way. The problem is convincing the Dr of this.
Yes, Darvacet doesn't do crap for me. My mother takes it for her Carpal Tunnel & it doesn't do crap for her either. It's like eating an M&M lol. I first started out on Norco but it didn't do anything for me either so my Dr gave me Vicodin 10/325 & they worked for about a year & then after my Dr gave me a heel injection for my PF the injection ruptured the PF & i was in extreme pain so my Dr put me on Percocet for a while & then once i went back to the Vicodin they no longer worked because i had gotten used to taking the Percocets so thats why i'm on the Percocets now. I can totally understand about being worried about getting addicted to any type of pain killers. I always feared the exact same thing but i just can't handle the pain. The pain is excruciating! So, after i get my feet fixed then i'm going to have to wean myself off of these Percocets which i'm sure wont be easy since i've been on them for so long but i'm totally prepared to cross that bridge when i come to it. I have a friend who is taking both Tramadol & Flexeril for her back problems right now. What is Lyrica? Whats that used for? I have heard of it.
Hang in there my friend & i will keep you in my thoughts & prayers. Take care.
Angelique

Update... Hi All...
I went to my MD last Friday & i was just a nervous wreck about my appointment because i thought that he might try to wean me off of the Percocet that i've been taking for my PF/Heel spurs. But instead he renewed my Percocet for another 4 mo. & even asked me if i needed something stronger! I was really afraid to get anything stronger as i don't want to get addicted to anything. I think i may already be addicted to the percocets because i have been on them for so long but i only take them when i'm hurting so bad that i can't stand it & thats pretty much 24/7! I'm going to have to cross the bridge of addiction when i come to it, i suppose because i have no other choice because my pain is so excruciating. I am thinking about making another appointment with my Dr & having a talk with him about getting something stronger because i take a percocet 10/325 every 2-3 hrs & yet my pain level is still about a 7-8 on a scale of 1-10. I really worry about my liver, though when tested my liver is fine, thank god but nevertheless i still do worry because of the tylenol. My Dr allows me to take 4 per day but honestly, i have been taking between 6-7 per day. I have not told him this. I am still staying within the daily limit of 4000mg. I was told that a person can take between 3000-4000mg per day & not cause any liver damage. And i never take anything else that contains tylenol in it while taking the percocet. However i do take a drug for high cholesterol & that is very hard on a persons liver too. I take Liptor 40mg once a day. Does anybody know if i'm stepping outside of the safe zone because of the Lipitor? Does the Lipitor even have any tylenol in it? I do get my liver tested every 3 mo. So far, so good, thank god. But after leaving my Dr.'s appointment Friday i wanted to kick myself because i really do need a stronger drug for my PF/Heel spurs & yet i said "no". Why did i say no? Just worried about my liver i guess & worried about getting addicted to anything stronger & i was also worried that if he put me on something stronger, what if it doesn't work as good as the percocets do? Ya know its not even that the percocets work all that great its just that they allow me to be beable to better deal with my pain on a daily bases. But the percocets never take away my pain. Which is why i'm now kicking myself for saying "no!". Does anyone have any advice on what i should do? I would very much appreciate it. My Dr is so kind, caring, & understanding. He even told me that he could give me something for the break through pain. I said "no". My pain is extreme yet i said "no", i don't know why i did that. God, i just want my pain to go away already! I will be going to a Podiatrist on the 28th. I sure do hope this appointment offers me a end to my pain. I'm at my wits end!
Take care all.
Angelique

Think twice about having surgery on the soles of your feet. A very good doctor one time told me that you can end up with a scar as big as the plantar is, and then it's permanent.I got rid of mine by following the surgeons instructions. 17% salacylic acid every day. Scrape until it is almost pink and then reapply. Keep doing that and you will finally get rid of it.

KWHayward...Thank you so much for your advice. I appreciate it. I have thought about the surgery, and the scars that it may bring, over & over & over again. But unfortunately it is begining to look that for me surgery may very well be the only option left. See my update.
Again, thanks so much & take care.
By the way, if you don't mind me asking, did the surgery work for you? If you don't mind me asking, how long was the recovery & was it very hard?
Thank you.

Update...
Hi All...I wanted to come back & give an update to my situation with my Plantar Fasciitis/Heel spurs. The last time i posted i spoke of my going to a Podiatrist on the 28th. So i'll start here.
I went to the Podiatrist on the 28th. I very much liked this Dr & felt an honest vibe/trust with him. He seems very very caring, compassionate, knowlegable, & sympathedic to my situation/pain. He wanted to do his own set & series of x-rays on my feet so this is where we started, with getting x-rays of both of my feet. Although i've never seen or heard of his type of x-ray machine. These x-rays were taken while actually standing on top of the machine. It was much easier than your standard x-ray machines. No x-ray tech twisting & contorting your body into unheard of positions just to get the right angle lol all i had to do was stand. Next the Dr wanted to watch me walk down the hall a few times so that he could see how i was walking. He never commented on this lol but i'm sure he was looking for something lol. Then he & i & my husband reviewed the x-rays with my Dr. The Dr said "Your feet are pretty bad", severe plantar fasciitis w/ large heel spurs on both feet. Next, we talked alot & he explained to me that what he wanted me to do, as a last resort before surgery was to try Physical Therapy for 3 weeks. So he gave me a prescription for PT. He also talked about "Taping" & getting me "out of pain". So, before i left his office he wanted to give my worst foot, which is the left, a "cocktail" shot. As he explained was a pain med/steroid. He also explained that he wasn't going to "sugar coat" the truth about the shot, meaning that it was going to hurt! In all honesty, after hearing those words i wanted to bolt for the door! But who was i fooling? I couldn't run if i wanted to with these sorry feet! So of course i stayed lol & he was not lying! Oh my god! that shot hurt sooooooo bad i cried! The Dr was soooo sweet to me though, he said "i'm soooo sorry". It only hurt for about 20 seconds. But it seemed like forever at the time lol. After the shot the Dr said that he was going to tape my worst foot, which is my left. We talked about what this would do & how it would help. He started taping my foot & the minute he put that tape on my foot i felt an instant relief! Oh my god it felt so good! It was amazing! But unfortunately the tape had to come off in 5 days when i started my PT. God, i wished that i could have left that tape on forever lol it helped soooo much! Which i plan on telling him when i go back to see him on the 18th. I mean, it wasn't total pain free but it helped soooo much. God, i wished he would have taped BOTH feet lol. Well that had given me a light at the end of my 3 year dark tunnel & i for the first time in 3 yrs had begun to see/feel hope that i could be pain free until i went to my first PT session. Now i've lost my light again & i'm right back in my dark tunnel. Its soooo depressing. I have gone for 2 weeks so far & my feet are still killing me! My therapist has me doing toe crunches, where she lays down a long piece of plastic, it resembles a cutting board & then she places a towel over it & lays it on the floor & i have to pick up the towel with my toes over & over & over again & this really hurts my feet! Though i'm trying my best not to be a baby about it but i have told her that it hurts me so she has backed off of so many of those. Another exercise she has me doing is stretching my feet with a towel, wrapping the towel around my toes & then pulling the towel with both hands. This doesn't hurt so much. Another exercise is rolling both of my feet, one at a time over a tube shaped thingy. This one actually feels pretty good. And i also do it at home but with a rolling pin. And then a few other exercises that i'm not sure what to call them but its all to stretch the tendons & they hurt. She starts my therapy with a ultrasound, it's some sort of electric shock wave ultrasound. Its supposed to loosen up my feet so that she can work with my feet but it never helps & it hurts & last week we couldn't even do my therapy because my calves were so tight & nothing was working to loosen them. She even gave me a soft tissue massage but it hurt! And my legs have been hurting eversince! I am not letting her do that again! It felt like she was digging her thumbs & nails into the backs of my calves & my husband said "yes, that is basically what she was doing". Then after my exercises she finishes with another type of ultrasound. She says that it is a sound ultrasound. And it hurts! She hooks up these little wires to my legs & feet & it feels like somebody is holding a lighter next to my skin. They get really hot. I told her this. Friday i left her office limping. Its just too much & i'm hurting so bad that i just can't stand it. My pain level is so high that i can't even stand to put on my own socks, let alone her touching my feet! But i've been trying to do it for 2 weeks now w/ no improvement, only worse pain after doing the PT. And last Friday i was hurting so bad but i had to let her try to help me because i didn't want to seem like a baby so i put up with it but i eventually broke down & started crying & she says "are you crying?"!. And i lied & i said "no". I told her that i just had the sniffles. But my husband knew better. I am doing PT twice a week for 3 weeks.
I am still taking my pain meds, Percocet 10/325 everyday. Even with the pain meds my pain level is a 8-9 on a scale of 1----10. It's just horrible!
So, this is where i'm at right now. I wanted to give everybody an update.
I hope that eveybody here is doing well & i want to thank you all again for your support & advice. I appreciate it much more than you know. I will update again after my next appointment on the 18th with my Podiatrist. Take care all. Best Wishes to all. Sorry for the extra long post.

Constant pain can definitely leave anyone feeling depressed & wanting to isolate themselves. Most people who have never experienced it don't understand & those who love you tend to feel cutoff. It's tough to reach out to them too. So, all & all it's difficult for all concerned. At least you're able to reach out through the internet & gain some social interaction without alot of judgement! I hope for your sake that you'll keep doing that - on this forum & perhaps on others as well. That may be the lifeline that helps you to get through this trying time in your life.

I only wish I had a solution to suggest that would be more helpful than what you are already doing. The only thing I can think of at this point certainly isn't without discomfort during treatment either but may help & that is trying
some medical massage - such as Myofascial & Structural Integration work. It has helped me with other problems I've had stemming from an old auto injury, over 20 years ago. You can find more explanations on these treatments online.

Hopefully you'll find the right answers to what you're dealing with so that you can get some relief & regain your life & your family as well. All the best to you & good luck with the journey!

I know what you are going through all too well. Mine pain started as plantar fasciatis, and progressed to a torn tendon and surgery, then into neuropathy. I have such horrible foot pain, just going through the grocery store puts me out for the rest of the day. I know about the depression too, and I have tried so many anti- depressants that made me feel worse, until they finally did a blood test that showed that one of my enzymes was not metabolizing the ingredients in the anti-depressant and similar meds. There are so many days I have to force myself to get out of bed, because I don't want to face another day of pain. If it weren't for my husbands support I would have given up along time ago. I haven't had any luck with pain management, pt, orthodics just make my feet hurt worse. So believe me I know where you are coming from. I just don't know where to turn to anymore. I just keep praying.

Update... She starts my therapy with a ultrasound, it's some sort of electric shock wave ultrasound. Its supposed to loosen up my feet so that she can work with my feet but it never helps & it hurts & last week we couldn't even do my therapy because my calves were so tight & nothing was working to loosen them. She even gave me a soft tissue massage but it hurt! And my legs have been hurting eversince! I am not letting her do that again! It felt like she was digging her thumbs & nails into the backs of my calves & my husband said "yes, that is basically what she was doing".

Just wanted to point out that PF is often the result of extremely tight calf muscles. Without sounding too harsh here, I would just "suck it up" and let the therapist continue to work on your tight calves, as this may very well be the root of your problems. I'm guessing you have some pretty serious 'trigger points" on your calves, and by doing the intense massaging...she is trying to break those knots up and release those trigger points. Yes, it's painful...I know this because I have the same problem...but in the long run, it can only help if you stick with it. Another thing you can try at home, is rolling out those painful spots on the calves using a tennis ball. Again, it will hurt...but sometimes we must endure a little pain in order to start healing. Good luck!